Perioperative Outcome Comparisons Between Open and Laparoscopic Nephroureterectomy Among a Population-Based Cohort from 2010 to 2012.

PURPOSE: To compare the perioperative outcomes and costs between open and laparoscopic nephroureterectomy for malignant diseases on a contemporary population-based level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Based on the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database for 2010 to 2012, we compared six end points of in-hospital mortality, intraoperative and postoperative complications, transfusion, anesthesia time, postoperative length of stay, and costs between open and laparoscopic nephroureterectomy under one-to-one matching based on the propensity scores. Multivariate analyses included sex, age, Charlson comorbidity index, body mass index, oncologic stage, hospital volume, and hospital academic status. Missing values were filled in by five-copy multiple imputations. RESULTS: Among 3595 open and 3349 laparoscopic nephroureterectomies, an average of 2902 matched pairs were generated by the imputation and matching process. The outcomes showing significantly favorable association with the laparoscopic approach over the open approach were in-hospital mortality (0.3% vs 0.7%; odds ratio [OR], 0.41 [95% confidence interval, CI, 0.17 to 0.99]), postoperative complications (9.4% vs 12.6%; OR, 0.73 [0.58 to 0.91]), transfusion (12.9% vs 20.6%; OR, 0.54 [0.46 to 0.64]), postoperative length of stay (median, 11 vs 12 days; Beta, -0.041 [-0.059 to -0.023]), and costs without the operating room (median, $6607 vs $7077; Beta, -0.030 [-0.048 to -0.013]), while significantly longer anesthesia time (median, 278 vs 245 min; Beta, 0.057 [0.041 to 0.074]) and higher total costs (median, $15691 vs $12846; Beta, 0.078 [0.068 to 0.088]) for laparoscopic than for open nephroureterectomies were noted. There was no difference in intraoperative complications (P=0.774). CONCLUSION: Several favorable perioperative outcomes including low mortality were observed in laparoscopic nephroureterectomy compared with open nephroureterectomy.

Influence of municipality-level mean income on access to aortic valve surgery: a cross-sectional observational study under Japan's universal health-care coverage.

BACKGROUND: Universal health-care coverage has attracted the interest of policy makers as a way of achieving health equity. However, previous reports have shown that despite universal coverage, socioeconomic disparity persists in access to high-tech invasive care, such as cardiac treatment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and care of aortic stenosis in the context of Japan's health-care system, which is mainly publicly funded. METHODS: We chose aortic stenosis in older people as a target because such patients are likely to be affected by socioeconomic disparity. Using a large Japanese claim-based inpatient database, we identified 12,893 isolated aortic stenosis patients aged over 65 years who were hospitalized between July 2010 and March 2012. Municipality socioeconomic status was represented by the mean household income of the patients' residential municipality, categorized into quartiles. The likelihood of undergoing aortic valve surgery and in-hospital mortality was regressed against socioeconomic status level with adjustments for hospital volume, regional number of cardiac surgeons per 1 million population, and patients' clinical status. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between the highest and lowest quartile groups in surgical indication (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.69-1.03) or in-hospital mortality (1.00; 0.68-1.48). Hospital volume was significantly associated with lower postoperative mortality (odds ratio of the highest volume tertile to the lowest, 0.49; 0.34-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Under Japan's current universal health-care coverage, municipality socioeconomic status did not appear to have a systematic relationship with either treatment decision for surgical intervention or postoperative survival following aortic valve surgery among older patients. Our results imply that universal health-care coverage with high publicly funded coverage offers equal access to high-tech cardiovascular care.

Robot-assisted versus other types of radical prostatectomy: population-based safety and cost comparison in Japan, 2012-2013.

In 2012, Japanese national insurance started covering robot-assisted surgery. We carried out a population-based comparison between robot-assisted and three other types of radical prostatectomy to evaluate the safety of robot-assisted prostatectomy during its initial year. We abstracted data for 7202 open, 2483 laparoscopic, 1181 minimal incision endoscopic, and 2126 robot-assisted radical prostatectomies for oncological stage T3 or less from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database (April 2012-March 2013). Complication rate, transfusion rate, anesthesia time, postoperative length of stay, and cost were evaluated by pairwise one-to-one propensity-score matching and multivariable analyses with covariants of age, comorbidity, oncological stage, hospital volume, and hospital academic status. The proportion of robot-assisted radical prostatectomies dramatically increased from 8.6% to 24.1% during the first year. Compared with open, laparoscopic, and minimal incision endoscopic surgery, robot-assisted surgery was generally associated with a significantly lower complication rate (odds ratios, 0.25, 0.20, 0.33, respectively), autologous transfusion rate (0.04, 0.31, 0.10), homologous transfusion rate (0.16, 0.48, 0.14), lower cost excluding operation (differences, -5.1%, -1.8% [not significant], -10.8%) and shorter postoperative length of stay (-9.1%, +0.9% [not significant], -18.5%, respectively). However, robot-assisted surgery also resulted in a + 42.6% increase in anesthesia time and +52.4% increase in total cost compared with open surgery (all P < 0.05). Introduction of robotic surgery led to a dynamic change in prostate cancer surgery. Even in its initial year, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy was carried out with several favorable safety aspects compared to the conventional surgeries despite its having the longest anesthesia time and the highest cost.

Cytoreductive nephrectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a population-based analysis of perioperative outcomes according to clinical stage.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the perioperative outcomes of cytoreductive nephrectomy according to clinical T stage, and to analyze factors affecting these outcomes. METHODS: The Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database from 2007 to 2012 was used to evaluate perioperative outcomes including in-hospital mortality, complications, blood transfusion, anesthesia time, postoperative length of stay and total cost in patients who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to clinical T stage. Multivariable regression analyses including sex, age, clinical N stage, hospital volume, type of hospital, Charlson Comorbidity Index and clinical T stage were carried out to identify outcome predictors. RESULTS: The present study enrolled 1074 patients including 270 with T1, 215 with T2, 479 with T3 and 110 with T4. Age, sex and Charlson Comorbidity Index were not significantly different among the four stages. A low clinical T stage was associated with minimally-invasive surgery (P < 0.001). The blood transfusion rate, anesthesia time, postoperative length of stay and total cost increased significantly with increasing clinical T stage (all P < 0.001). Multivariable regression analyses showed that increasing clinical T stage was significantly associated with unfavorable perioperative outcomes except in-hospital mortality (T4/T1: postoperative complications OR 2.34; blood transfusion OR 5.27; anesthesia time +14%; postoperative length of stay +13.2%; total cost +13.4%; all P < 0.05). Clinical N stage was the only significant predictive factor for in-hospital mortality (N1/N0: OR 3.34, P = 0.004; N2/N0: OR 3.48, P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical T stage is significantly associated with perioperative outcomes, other than in-hospital mortality, in patients with metastatic renal call carcinoma undergoing cytoreductive nephrectomy. Clinical N stage is significantly associated with in-hospital mortality.

Impact of hospital volume on outcomes in acute pancreatitis: a study using a nationwide administrative database.

BACKGROUND: Although several population-based studies have shown higher hospital volume (HV) to be associated with better outcomes in acute pancreatitis, they failed to adjust for disease severity and did not take into account the potentially non-linear relationship between HV and outcomes. Using a Japanese nationwide administrative database, this study aimed to evaluate the volume-outcome relationship in acute pancreatitis by means of statistical methods that permitted such considerations. METHODS: In-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total costs for patients with acute pancreatitis were analyzed using multivariate regression models fitted with generalized estimating equations. Adjustment for severity was based on the Japanese Severity Scoring System and other patient characteristics. We used restricted cubic spline functions to examine the potential non-linear relationships between HV and outcomes. RESULTS: In all, 17,415 eligible patients with acute pancreatitis were identified from 1,032 hospitals between 1 July 2010 and 30 September 2011. The in-hospital mortality rate was 2.6 %, and the median total costs were US $7,740 (interquartile range, 5,150-11,920). The overall and non-linear volume-outcome relationships were not significant either for in-hospital mortality or total costs. The median length of stay was 14 days (interquartile range, 10-22), and high HV was positively associated with shorter hospitalization (overall, P < 0.001; non-linear, P = 0.194). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the shorter hospitalization with higher HV, no inverse volume-outcome relationship was evident for acute pancreatitis. Further evidence is required to justify the volume-based selective referral of acute pancreatitis patients.

Impact of guideline-concordant microbiological testing on outcomes of pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical practice guidelines recommend standardized diagnostic microbiological testing for community-acquired pneumonia on hospital admission, although evidence of its impact on quality is limited. This study evaluated the relationship between guideline-concordant microbiological testing (GCMT) and both in-hospital mortality and length of stay. DESIGN: /st> Retrospective cohort study using a multicenter claims-based inpatient database linked to a government hospital census database in Japan. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: /st> Patients who were diagnosed with and treated for pneumonia, and were discharged between 1 July 2010 and 30 September 2011 (n = 65 145). METHODS: and MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: /st> GCMT was defined to include sputum tests, blood cultures and urine antigen tests conducted on the first day of hospitalization. We examined the association between 30-day in-hospital mortality and both the performance of each test and the number of tests performed using multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for patient demographics, pneumonia severity and hospital characteristics. Length of stay was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: /st> Simultaneous conduct of all three tests was significantly associated with reduced 30-day mortality (odds ratio: 0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.56-0.74) and with increased likelihood of discharge (hazard ratio: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00-1.07), after adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. The association was more marked as the level of disease severity increased. CONCLUSIONS: /st> Performance of GCMT was significantly associated with lower mortality and shorter length of stay. These results suggest that hospitals should assure performance of GCMT in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Continuous regional arterial infusion for acute pancreatitis: a propensity score analysis using a nationwide administrative database.

INTRODUCTION: Although continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) of a protease inhibitor and an antibiotic may be effective in patients with severe acute pancreatitis, CRAI has not yet been validated in large patient populations. We therefore evaluated the effectiveness of CRAI based on data from a national administrative database covering 1,032 Japanese hospitals. METHODS: In-hospital mortality, length of stay and costs were compared in the CRAI and non-CRAI groups, using propensity score analysis to adjust for treatment selection bias. RESULTS: A total of 17,415 eligible patients with acute pancreatitis were identified between 1 July and 30 September 2011, including 287 (1.6%) patients who underwent CRAI. One-to-one propensity-score matching generated 207 pairs with well-balanced baseline characteristics. In-hospital mortality rates were similar in the CRAI and non-CRAI groups (7.7% vs. 8.7%; odds ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-1.78, P = 0.720). CRAI was associated with significantly longer median hospital stay (29 vs. 18 days, P < 0.001), significantly higher median total cost (21,800 vs. 12,600 United States dollars, P < 0.001), and a higher rate of interventions for infectious complications, such as endoscopic/surgical necrosectomy or percutaneous drainage (2.9% vs. 0.5%, P = 0.061). CONCLUSIONS: CRAI was not effective in reducing in-hospital mortality rate in patients with acute pancreatitis, but was associated with longer hospital stay and higher costs. Randomized controlled trials in large numbers of patients are required to further evaluate CRAI for this indication.

The association of hospital volume with mortality and costs of care for stroke in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The association between hospital volume and patient outcomes remains unclear for stroke. Little is known about whether these relationships differ by stroke subtypes. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of hospital volume with in-hospital mortality and costs of care for stroke. RESEARCH DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of national hospital database. SUBJECTS: A total of 66,406 patients admitted between July 1 and December 31, 2010 with primary diagnosis of stroke at 796 acute care hospitals in Japan were included. MEASURES: We used a locally weighted scatter-plot smoothing method to test the relationship between hospital volume and outcomes. On the basis of these results, we categorized patient volume into 3 groups (10-50, 51-100, and >100 discharges/6 mo). We tested the volume-outcome relationship using multivariable regression models adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. Subgroup analysis was conducted by stratifying on stroke subtype. RESULTS: Compared with those treated at high-volume hospitals (>100 discharges), patients admitted to low-volume hospitals (10-50 discharges) had higher in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.23-1.71, P<0.0001). In the lowest volume hospitals, adjusted costs of care per discharge were 8.0% lower (95% CI, -14.1% to -1.8%, P=0.01) compared with the highest volume hospitals. The volume-mortality association was significant across all stroke subtypes. Highest volume hospitals had higher costs than lowest volume hospitals for subarachnoid hemorrhage, but this association was nonsignificant for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Highest volume hospitals had lower mortality than the lowest volume hospitals for stroke in Japan. Highest volume hospitals had higher costs for subarachnoid hemorrhage, but not for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

Impact of age and comorbidity burden on mortality and major complications in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery: an analysis using the Japanese diagnosis procedure combination database.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine how complications in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery vary as a function of age, comorbidity, and type of surgical procedure. METHODS: We abstracted data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database for all patients aged ≥ 50 who had undergone cervical laminoplasty, lumbar decompression, lumbar arthrodesis, or primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between July 1 and December 31 in the years 2007 to 2010. Outcome measures included all-cause in-hospital mortality and incidence of major complications. We analyzed the effects of age, sex, comorbidities, and type of surgical procedure on outcomes. Charlson comorbidity index was used to identify and summarize patients' comorbid burden. RESULTS: A total of 107,104 patients were identified who underwent cervical laminoplasty (16,020 patients), lumbar decompression (31,605), lumbar arthrodesis (18,419), or TKA (41,060). Of these, 17,339 (16.2%) were aged 80 years or older. Overall, in-hospital death occurred in 121 patients (0.11%) and 4,448 patients (4.2%) had at least one major complication. In-hospital mortality and complication rates increased with increasing age and comorbidity. A multivariate analysis showed mortality and major complications following surgery were associated with advanced age (aged ≥ 80 years; odds ratios 5.88 and 1.51), male gender, and a higher comorbidity burden (Charlson comorbidity index ≥ 3; odds ratio, 16.5 and 5.06). After adjustment for confounding factors, patients undergoing lumbar arthrodesis or cervical laminoplasty were at twice the risk of in-hospital mortality compared with patients undergoing TKA. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that an increased comorbid burden as measured by Charlson comorbidity index has a greater impact on postoperative mortality and major complications than age in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery. After adjustment, mortality following lumbar arthrodesis or cervical laminoplasty was twice as high as that in TKA. Our findings suggest that an assessment of perioperative risks in elderly patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery should be stratified according to comorbidity burden and type of procedures, as well as by patient's age.

Health care costs related to out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Although cost analyses for emergency care are essential, data on costs of care for out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (OHCA) are scarce. The present study aimed to analyze health care costs related to OHCA using a nationwide administrative database in Japan. METHODS: Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in Japan, we identified OHCA patients who were transported to 779 emergency medical centres between July and December in 2008 and 2009. We assessed patient survival and discharge status, receipt of specific treatments, and costs of in-hospital care. RESULTS: A total of 21,750 OHCA patients were identified. Overall, 59.6% were males, and the average age was 70.3 years. Of them, 1394 (6.4%) resulted in death without attempted resuscitation after hospital arrival (Group A), 14,973 (69.0%) died on admission day despite resuscitation attempts (Group B), 3680 (17.0%) died at ≥2 days after admission despite resuscitation attempts (Group C), 785 (3.6%) survived and were discharged to home (Group D) and 873 (4.0%) survived and discharged to other than home (Group E). The median total costs were $434, $1735, $4869, $28,097 and $31,161 in Groups A to E, respectively. Positive survival status, longer hospital stay and receipt of specific treatments were significant predictors of higher total costs. After adjustment for these factors, higher age was associated with lower costs. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in the present study add further evidence to existing knowledge about healthcare costs related to OHCA.

Comparisons of perioperative outcomes and costs between open and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: a propensity-score matching analysis based on the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database.

We compared perioperative outcomes and costs between open and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. The Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, including cases from 2007 to 2010, was used by one-to-one propensity-score matching. The following items were compared: complication rate; homologous and autologous transfusion rate; first cystography day and cystography repeat rate; anesthesia time; postoperative length of stay; and costs. Multivariate analyses were carried out by including age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, T stage, hospital volume and hospital academic status as variables. As a result, among 15 616 open and 1997 laparoscopic radical prostatectomies, 1627 propensity-score matched pairs were generated. The laparoscopic approach showed a better overall complication rate (3.4% vs 5.0%), homologous transfusion rate (3.3% vs 9.2%), autologous transfusion rate (44.9% vs 79.3%), first cystography day (mean 6th vs 7th day), mean postoperative length of stay (mean 11 vs 13 days), and cost without surgery and anesthesia (mean $7965 vs $9235; all P < 0.001). Anesthesia time was longer (mean 345 vs 285 min) and total cost was higher (mean $14 980 vs $12 356) for the laparoscopic approach (both P < 0.001). The secondary cystography rates were comparable between the groups (18.3% vs 15.7%, P = 0.144). The multivariate analyses showed similar trends. In conclusion, these findings confirm several benefits of laparoscopy over open approach for radical prostatectomy.

Effect and cost of treatment for acute pancreatitis with or without gabexate mesylate: a propensity score analysis using a nationwide administrative database.

OBJECTIVES: Despite a lack of evidence, gabexate mesylate (GM) is routinely used for the treatment of acute pancreatitis (AP) in some countries. The present study examined the effect and cost of GM for AP treatment using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database. METHODS: We performed a propensity score analysis to compare inhospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and total costs between patients with AP treated with GM and those without GM in 2010. RESULTS: We identified 2483 patients treated with GM and 890 patients without GM. Overall, 77% of the patients treated with GM were nonsevere AP cases. The propensity-matched 707 pairs showed no significant difference between GM users and nonusers in inhospital mortality or median length of stay in nonsevere AP (1.0% vs 1.2%, P = 0.789; 10 vs 10 days, P = 0.160) and severe AP (8.4% vs 5.0%, P = 0.438; 12 vs 14 days, P = 0.487) cases. Total costs were significantly different between the GM users and the nonusers in nonsevere AP cases (US$4982 vs US$4373, P < 0.001), but not in severe AP cases ($6605 vs $6490, P = 0.764). CONCLUSIONS: Using GM for nonsevere AP cannot be justified because of higher costs without significant effects. Gabexate mesylate use is also not justifiable for severe AP because it does not reduce mortality or length of stay.

In-hospital outcomes and cost assessment between bipolar versus monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate.

PURPOSE: We compared the in-hospital outcomes between bipolar and monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate (B-TURP and M-TURP, respectively) on a real-world practice using a large database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent TURP were extracted from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, which is a case-mix administrative claims database in Japan. TURP procedures were classified into M-TURP and B-TURP groups according to intraoperative use or nonuse of D-sorbitol solution, respectively, which is the only nonelectrolyte bladder irrigation fluid for M-TURP available in Japan. To exclude causality among autologous and homologous transfusion events, we confined eligible hospitals to those in which no autologous blood preparation was undertaken for TURP and whose annual surgical caseloads were 15 cases or more. Multivariate analyses were conducted for homologous transfusion, postoperative complications, operative time, postoperative length of stay, and total costs. RESULTS: There were 5155 M-TURP and 1531 B-TURP patients identified. The results for M-TURP vs B-TURP (effect sizes were evaluated with reference to M-TURP) were 2.3% vs 1.3% for transfusion (odds ratio [OR]=0.54; P=0.013), 3.3% vs 1.7% for postoperative complications (OR=0.46; P<0.01), 98 vs 116 minutes for operative time (20.5% increase; P<0.001), 8.65 vs 8.45 days for postoperative stay (3.6% reduction; P=0.003), and $6103 vs $6062 for cost (1.7% reduction; P=0.018). CONCLUSION: B-TURP had significantly lower rates of transfusion and postoperative complications, but a longer operative time. The impacts of B-TURP on shortening the hospital stay and lowering the costs were of little clinical significance.

Multivariate analysis of factors influencing medical costs of acute pancreatitis hospitalizations based on a national administrative database.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the analysis of medical costs of acute pancreatitis hospitalizations. AIM: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting medical costs of patients with acute pancreatitis during hospitalization using a Japanese administrative database. METHODS: A total of 7193 patients with acute pancreatitis were referred to 776 hospitals. We defined "patients with high medical costs" as patients whose medical costs exceeded the 90th percentile in medical costs during hospitalization and identified the independent factors for patients with high medical costs with and without controlling for length of stay. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that necrosectomy was the most significant factor for medical costs of acute pancreatitis during hospitalization. The odds ratio of necrosectomy was 33.64 (95% confidence interval, 14.14-80.03; p<0.001). Use of an intensive care unit was the most significant factor for medical costs after controlling for LOS. The OR of an ICU was 6.44 (95% CI, 4.72-8.81; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that necrosectomy and use of an ICU significantly affected the medical costs of acute pancreatitis hospitalization. These results highlight the need for health care implementations to reduce medical costs whilst maintaining the quality of patient care, and targeting patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

Impact of remifentanil introduction on practice patterns in general anesthesia.

PURPOSE: The introduction of new medicine can change clinical practice patterns and may affect patient outcomes. In the present study, we investigated whether introduction of remifentanil in Japan affected the practice patterns of anesthesia. METHODS: Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we extracted records of 423,491 patients who underwent surgery with general anesthesia in 243 hospitals before (2006) and after (2007) the introduction of remifentanil, and identified anesthetic agents used for each patient. A hierarchical mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the factors that affected selection of remifentanil. Further, we compared postoperative length of stay (LOS), in-hospital mortality, and total costs between 2006 and 2007. RESULTS: In 2007, remifentanil was used for up to 41.4% of all general anesthesia, accompanied by a reduction in nitrous oxide use and an increase in total intravenous anesthesia. Female gender, increasing age, and preoperative comorbidities including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, liver cirrhosis, and chronic renal failure were positively associated with the use of remifentanil, whereas accompanying cardiac disease and co-application of epidural anesthesia were negatively associated. In 2007, a similar in-hospital death rate, similar or decreased total costs, slightly reduced duration of anesthesia, and substantially reduced postoperative LOS were seen compared to those in 2006. CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed rapid changes in practice patterns in anesthesia after the introduction of remifentanil in Japan. Remifentanil was used more often in patients with comorbidities and without epidural anesthesia, and its introduction did not affect increase in total medical costs.

Early crystalloid fluid volume management in acute pancreatitis: association with mortality and organ failure.

AIMS: Guidelines recommend aggressive fluid resuscitation in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) to minimize organ failure. This study aimed to determine whether early crystalloid fluid management is associated with mortality and/or critical care. METHODS: 9,489 AP patients aged ≥18 years were categorized into four study groups: ventilation, hemodialysis, a combination of ventilation and hemodialysis, and neither ventilation nor hemodialysis. We analyzed demographics, mortality, comorbidities, complications, AP severity, surgery of the biliary/pancreatic system, and fluid volume (FV) during the initial 48 h (FV48) and during hospitalization (FVH), and calculated the FV ratio (FVR) as FV48/FVH. The impact of FV48 and FVR on mortality and the care process was assessed according to AP severity. RESULTS: 1.1% of AP patients received ventilation, 1.7% received hemodialysis and 1.0% received both treatments. FV48 and FVR were higher in patients requiring ventilation compared with those not requiring ventilation. A high FV48 increased mortality and a high FVR decreased mortality in patients with severe AP. A high FV48 required ventilation in patients with severe AP, which was independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: Since relatively too much or too little early FV is associated with mortality, FV should be continuously monitored and managed according to AP severity. and IAP.

Relationships of age, cholecystectomy approach and timing with the surgical and functional outcomes of elderly patients with cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: Safety confirmation has led to calls for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) to prevail in elderly patients, but the functional changes after LC have not been sufficiently compared with open cholecystectomy (OC). Using an administrative database, we reassessed the quality of cholecystectomy approach and timing of cholecystectomy for elderly patients with cholecystitis. METHODS: A total of 2552 patients aged ≥60 years who underwent cholecystectomy for cholecystitis were enrolled. Variables included demographics, comorbidities, complications, preoperative bile duct scrutiny, cholecystectomy timing (<48, 48-96, >96 h), functional status estimated by the Barthel index, teaching status, postoperative length of stay (LOS) and total charges (TC). The impacts of age, OC and timing on LOS, TC, complications and functional changes were assessed by mixed linear regression analyses using propensity score-matched cohorts for LC and OC. RESULTS: The patients comprised 1742 LC and 810 OC patients across 122 hospitals. The mean ages and octogenarian proportions were 70.1 years and 10.6% for LC and 72.9 years and 20.5% for OC. Advancing age, males and acute inflammation were more frequently associated with OC. Longer LOS, higher TC and more complications were observed for OC. Age was a predictor of functional changes but not complications. Octogenarians and complications were associated with longer LOS, higher TC and more functional deterioration. Earlier cholecystectomy was only associated with lower TC. CONCLUSIONS: Octogenarians were likely to have OC and functional deterioration. Since OC was a predictor of resource use and complications, strategies to complete earlier LC and prevent complications are required for octogenarians.

An observational study using a national administrative database to determine the impact of hospital volume on compliance with clinical practice guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the relationship between hospital volume and compliance with clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between hospital volume and compliance with CPGs using a Japanese administrative database. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: This was an observational study that included 60,842 patients with acute cholangitis from 829 hospitals in Japan. MEASURES: Hospital volume was categorized into the following 3 groups based on the number of cases of acute cholangitis during the study period: low-volume hospitals (LVHs; n = 20,869), medium-volume hospitals (MVHs; n = 18,387), and high-volume hospitals (HVHs; n = 21,586). We further collected patient data with regard to CPGs for acute cholangitis, and counted the number of recommendations that had been complied with for each patient. CPGs compliance score was defined as the rate of compliance with these recommendations for each patient (range, 0-10). Aggregated CPGs compliance score was measured according to hospital volume. RESULTS: Mean CPGs compliance score in HVHs was significantly higher than that in MVHs and LVHs (6.8 ± 1.6 vs. 5.6 ± 1.5 vs. 3.9 ± 1.4, respectively; P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that hospital volume was most significantly associated with CPGs compliance score. The standardized coefficient for CPGs compliance score in HVHs was 0.689, whereas that of MVHs was 0.366 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that hospital volume was significantly associated with compliance with CPGs and that the Japanese administrative database was a viable tool for the monitoring of compliance with CPGs.

Reconsidering the value of rehabilitation for patients with cerebrovascular disease in Japanese acute health care hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: The 21st century has an increasing elderly population at risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Efficient care for recovering functional status is emphasized among policy makers. We investigated whether rehabilitation and its early initiation provided for CVD patients produced functional recovery in acute care hospitals. METHODS: Using a Japanese administrative database during a 4-month interval from 2004 to 2008 in patients ages ≥ 15 years, we measured the demographics, consciousness level at admission, comorbidities, complications, procedures, ventilation administration, initiation day of rehabilitation, and hospital characteristics. Outcomes included total charges (TC) and functional status measured by the Barthel index (BI). Multivariate analysis measured the impact of rehabilitation and its early initiation on outcomes. To reduce the selection bias of rehabilitation and the ecological fallacy, we used propensity score matching and the linear mixed model. RESULTS: Excluding 488 deceased patients, we analyzed 45,014 CVD patients. Rehabilitation at a generalized unit produced greater BI improvement than no rehabilitation or at intensive care units. A longer hospitalization, but not a 1-day delay of rehabilitation initiation, resulted in less BI improvement and more TC. A higher patient volume and academic hospitals were associated with more TC but not with BI improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation, but not the timing of rehabilitation, might accompany functional recovery in acute care hospitals. Because the hospital mix or medical units can explain the variation in the quality of rehabilitation, policy makers, along with monitoring unnecessary long hospitalizations, should encourage a referral policy for rehabilitation-intensive facilities and develop effective rehabilitation using technology to optimize functional outcomes.

Contribution of case-mix classification to profiling hospital characteristics and productivity.

Case-mix classification has made it possible to analyze acute care delivery case volumes and resources. Data arising from observed differences have a role in planning health policy. Aggregated length of hospital stay (LOS) and total charges (TC) as measures of resource use were calculated from 34 case-mix groups at 469 hospitals (1,721,274 eligible patients). The difference between mean resource use of all hospitals and the mean resource use of each hospital was subdivided into three components: amount of variation attributable to hospital practice behavior (efficiency); amount attributable to hospital case-mix (complexity); and amount attributable to the interaction. Hospital characteristics were teaching status (academic or community), ownership, disease coverage, patients, and hospital volume. Multivariate analysis was employed to determine the impact of hospital characteristics on efficiency. Mean LOS and TC were greater for academic than community hospitals. Academic hospitals were least associated with LOS and TC efficiency. Low disease coverage was a predictor of TC efficiency while low patient volume was a predictor of unnecessarily long hospital stays. There was an inverse correlation between complexity and efficiency for both LOS and TC. Policy makers should acknowledge that differentiation of hospital function needs careful consideration when measuring efficiency.